Chapter 8.- Old wounds.
Nothing abnormal, Kagome idly noted as her eyes found the bright blue sky above her head.
Truth to be told, the girl wasn't sure if she was expecting anything to look different in the odd space between time periods now that she jumped through. It all stayed the same, though. Fingers lightly clasped around Itachi's hand in an effort to make sure they wouldn't be separated by some weird, random occurrence tightened their grip for a second in relief. It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference if something were to go wrong, but the gesture seemed to have morphed from a way to pull the young warrior to a way to calm her nerves. She was lucky he didn't seem to mind this growing habit of hers. At least now they knew, for sure, that there wouldn't be any issues with Itachi traveling through with her.
"Well," Kagome nodded, and turned to smile at the older teen. "Looks like we made it."
"It all happened the same as always?" The young man's voice was almost even, but she could hear a sliver of curiosity.
"No changes at all," she said, letting go of his hand to go and check which vines were strong enough to support them. "The others will be here soon, so we should start moving."
"If it's alright, should I get us out?" Itachi asked softly.
"O-oh, right!" The girl laughed in embarrassment. "That would probably be faster."
While still very much a human, Itachi's abilities far exceeded what any human in this world was naturally capable of. Kagome clearly remembered the older teen mentioning how in his world, people used chakra to boost everything, from strength to senses like hearing. Still, the only time that became apparent was during their first fight. So after spending a week of nothing but domestic activities, it almost made her forget that the warrior could likely go toe to toe with demons, with or without support. A jump of this height was well inside his capabilities.
Her thoughts would've kept spiraling if not for the soft "if you'll excuse me," he said to her right before the weight f her backpack vanished from her shoulders. And she found herself being carried in his arms. And if the heat she could feel was anything to go b, her face had to be beet red. He had to have noticed it but said nothing. Kagome could only silently thank him before fumbling with her hands as she closed her fist around his black haori just in time for him to jump. One single jump and they were out, landing on the edge of the well. A stuttered thanks was the best she could do when he passed her the yellow monstrosity that was her bag. And for what felt like the hundredth time, she cursed her modern friends. Before their non-stop questions, Kagome had been perfectly able to not notice how easy it was to misinterpret many of the things he did for her or how easy on the eyes he was.
He felt indebted to her. Even now, she was sure he felt that way, and that was it. Though her heart didn't seem to have gotten the memo and insisted on beating faster.
It was ridiculous, really. The girl loved Inuyasha, had fallen for him early on, and still wished for him to look at her, so there was no reason for her to react to being close to Itachi like this. She was in love with someone else, and even if the older teen didn't think of her as just his savior, he'd likely see her as nothing but a younger sibling he had to take care of. The younger brother he talked about was supposed to be around her age, right?
"Kagome!"
A sigh of relief almost escaped her as she turned to see her friends walking in their direction. A blessed interruption to stop her from making a fool of herself.
"Did you miss me?!" Shippo-chan greeted her, jumping into her arms.
"Of course I did," she snuggled the kit. "And no, I didn't forget your candy."
"Welcome back too, Itachi-san," the fox grinned as he climbed her shoulders.
"Ah...yes, I'm back."
"Welcome back," Miroku-sama smiled as he reached them. "I hope nothing went amiss with the travels?"
"How did it go?" Was Sango-chan's first question after returning the priestess's hug.
Pretending not to notice the lack of one white-haired hanyou, the girl plastered a smile on her face before giving the demon exterminator a vaguely positive answer. She should've known he'd still be sulking, even after a week. This was usually when Kagome went to find him and offered an apology. Inuyasha was moody, and it felt easier to simply concede every so often, thinking there were other, perhaps slower, more subtle ways to try and solve their troubles. It was easier than fighting with him. But...was that what she wanted to do? It hurt to notice how much of a cold shoulder he gave her whenever they argued. Sure, it was cute when he fumbled and tumbled through an apology on the few occasions he did so, but it also could turn infuriating. The memory of being frozen because she couldn't recognize herself anymore remained fresh within her mind. So she forced herself to keep talking about her week and focused instead on the slight awkwardness she could feel coming from the young warrior as Miroku and Shippo tried to interrogate the older teen about her time period.
She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. When the interaction was with just one other person, Itachi did alright, and when spending time with her, he was always more relaxed to the point that Kagome was confident he'd enjoyed himself during the past week. Once the teen was pushed into their more common dynamics, it was clear he struggled a bit. Every so often, Itachi would use the words companions and teammates interchangeably, so at some time, he had to have worked with a team. And yet, he seemed to have difficulties interacting with the group as a whole. Egoistic as it may be, the priestess couldn't fully deny that a part of her felt oddly happy knowing he was opening up to her; still, it would be healthier for him to forge a better connection with others. Even in her time, the young warrior retired to his room early in what had to be an attempt to intrude in her life. It was a different kind of frustrating, but Kagome was determined. Mama had gently reminded her that healing others wasn't her responsibility. Her mother was an intuitive woman, and she understood he'd likely been a child soldier without having to say it. The kind of trauma such a thing caused wasn't something she was even remotely qualified to try and help with.
His past was a dark void created with purposefully vague answers and obscure references that Itachi carefully chose. If she wanted to opt out of this self-imposed missing, there was no better point than this one. Walking back from this didn't mean she had to put some distance between them; she could just take what she could and pretend not to notice the hurt inside his eyes. No one would blame her. Heck, Itachi would prefer it that way...and still, she'd asked her mother to get some books that could help the next time she went home.
"Have there been any news?" Kagome asked.
"Not really,' the demon exterminator shook her head. "Miroku-sama and I went to neighboring villages, but we didn't get anything useful."
"I just finished my exams. It should be fine to try here for a couple of weeks, maybe three if we get a lead."
"That long?"
It wouldn't be ideal to try and cram almost a month of information in just a handful of days, but she felt confident about this last batch, and her grades shouldn't suffer that much more for a bit of a dip. Plus, Itachi's explanations were detailed and easier to understand than her teacher's lectures. Maybe she was being a little overconfident, but Kagome didn't like this prolonged silence. Naraku's plotting took priority; the spider hanyou was far too dangerous for her to ignore. And that was another thing to consider. In an effort to be cautious, Itachi hadn't been really informed about the vile half-demon. But at this point, neither Miroku nor Sango were likely to object to giving the young warrior some more information. A lot of it was quite personal, but giving the teen a light overview shouldn't overstep any boundaries. As for her part in this mess...disclosing it would be for the best. Inuyasha would object, but this was her story to share, and naive as it could be, the girl trusted Itachi. She'd have to find some time for them to talk in private, unless she wanted to risk yet another fight with the silver-haired hanyou. Not when she could feel him sulking right over the tree line.
Resolute, the young priestess laughed at Shippo's exaggerated motions as he kept asking a million questions a second. Inuyasha never had enough patience to share what he saw in her world. Sure, Kagome often told simplified tales of her time, but she was well aware of how different her perspective was.
"Say, Kagome-chan. "Sango-chan touched her arm. "Can we talk for a second?"
"Huh? Sure, I guess..."
Glancing at the tree line, the demon exterminator grabbed her wrist and walked a little farther away. From the corner of her eye, the girl managed to catch Itachi glancing at her for an instant before focusing back on the almost interrogation, though the monk also seemed to be glaring at the forest.
Oh, she'd wondered why they'd decided to push Itachi through the well after the young priestess jumped down the well. It made no sense for Miroku not to discuss things with her. After all, both of her human friends respected her studies despite not understanding why they mattered to her. Clearly, they'd kept the hanyou from going after them. The only reason for them to go through this trouble was if they knew Inuyasha would get annoyed at whatever Sango was about to tell her and thought some space would be needed.
"Ok..." she drawled as they walked a few meters. "So, what's going on?"
"Well, Miroku-sama mentioned your spiritual training was going well, so why not extend it a little?"
"Extend...my training?"
"Not all of our enemies are demons, so I figured some self-defense wouldn't be a bad idea." The demon exterminator smiled hopefully. "I'm not saying you'll take over the fighting, it takes years for anyone to reach the level necessary to go against the sort of people Naraku sends after us, but it will let you buy some time until one of us can get to you. The basics, you know?"
"You want to teach me self-defense?" This was the first time the older girl ever breached the subject.
"I know we've never talked about it, but it would be helpful," Sango continued, probably misunderstanding her emotion. "Some of the others are stronger than me, but..."
"I'd love that!" Kagome grinned, grabbing her friend's hands in appreciation.
A handful of training sessions wouldn't magically place her on the same level her friends were. The priestess wasn't naive, and even with her spiritual training, Itachi was always tactfully reminding her that progress would always be slow to start, and she needed to be careful not to take on more than she could handle. Still, it felt as if she was claiming another of the pieces she'd lost during these last few months. And that was more than she could've wanted.
For all that Itachi knew the young girl had to feel exhausted after physical training was added to her somewhat improvised schedule, the Uchiha could find no trace of displeasure. In fact, she looked satisfied.
Honestly, he was glad the demon exterminator decided to take the initiative and propose to help Kagome get some proper combat training. Expanding his butterfly's training had always been a part of his plan. It wouldn't do to let such a crucial part of battle unaddressed, but if suggesting the girl should work on her spiritual powers was enough to cause infighting, he could imagine what a mess would've been created had he been the one to present the idea. His original plan was to wait until things calmed down, talk to Inuyasha-san before taking over that part of her training.
In hindsight, he could see it would be more beneficial for Sango-san to be the one in charge of teaching her the basics. While Itachi was stronger and likely had more experience on the battlefield, he'd never taught anyone from scratch, and the demon exterminator was clearly an expert when dealing with the threats of this world. Plus, the young fighter was probably used to compensating for the disadvantages that came with being smaller and having a thinner build than most of her opponents. Though he was certainly unassuming compared to so many other shinobi, physical prowess stopped being an important factor when he learned chakra control.
Not that talking with the hanyou was off the table now.
He wasn't particularly interested in trying to forge a good relationship with every single member of the group. But Kagome clearly cared for the hanyou, and arguing with the silver-haired male drained her, so at the very least, Itachi wanted to reach some sort of neutral balance that wouldn't put more unwanted stress on his butterfly's petite shoulders. Waiting a little longer would be for the best, although, after three days, it was painfully clear the hanyou was still in a bad mood. Idly adjusting his plans, the young shinobi kept looking at the stars. Instead of dividing the night into equal parts and having everyone keep watch, the group often relied on their non-human companion's senses to notice if there was anything off and wake up the rest. Ever since they came back, however, Inuyasha-san insisted on keeping watch for most of the night, with Sango-san or Miroku-san starting the watch for a couple of hours. Three days of non-stop hiking made all human members feel tired enough that his offer to take over tonight's turn, was mostly received with gratitude. He didn't mind it too much, the stars here were different but just as beautiful as the ones from his world, and he certainly wouldn't take views like this for granted.
He almost didn't turn when he heard the sound of one of the others moving around. They probably just needed to take care of private business some ways away, but when his gaze flickered to the side, he found Kagome's bright azure; index finger pressed against her lips. Perhaps it was a sign of how taken he was that all his butterfly had to do was wave her hand for him to blindly follow.
"Alright," the girl whispered after leading him inside the forest. "This should be far enough."
"Kagome...is everything alright?" This wasn't exactly normal.
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes. It's just...with Inuyasha acting like a slavedriver, I couldn't find the time to talk to you." She offered him an apologetic smile. "And well, you haven't asked why we're suddenly being so cautious."
"I figured I'd likely find out eventually," Itachi trailed off.
"Ahaha, I mean, sure, but you've agreed to help us, so it's only fair for you to know what's going on." The priestess shook her head, pouting. "There's some personal stuff I can't exactly share, but everything else is important."
Not wanting to waste the chance to get one of the missing pieces into his hands, he quietly listened to the girl talk about a spider half-demon, obsessed with the Shikon and who held most of the fragments. She was clearly dancing around the issues that brought the members of this ragtag team together. Still, there were more than enough encounters with the being to fully paint the image of a cunning manipulator, if somewhat prideful and impulsive. Vile, egotistic, and narcissistic...not anything particularly new. Dealing with the supernaturals puppets, power boosts, and healing the shards gave the hanyou would be tricky, but it didn't sound impossible. Without the full wish-granting object, he couldn't imagine the spider being more dangerous than an experienced jinchuuriki.
And then Kagome continued.
The story his butterfly told him was likely unknowingly sanitized, the girl had the habit of downplaying the dangers and risks she faced, but he got glimpses of her journey before. He had a decent idea of what it had looked like. However, that wasn't what his mind latched onto.
The Shikon jewel had been inside of her.
A demon had jumped out of the well and pulled her in. Instinct had her power rise and got her to the other side relatively safely. Disoriented and worried, Kagome ended up at the village only to be pursued by the same centipede youkai shortly after. It was that demon that got the Shikon out by biting into her. And only a few days later, it was his butterfly who shattered the cursed relic in an attempt to save a child's life. And it took all his self-control not to react when the girl lifted her shirt to show him the stretch of scarred skin on her side. It was an undeniable visual proof of how close to death she'd gotten when he was stuck on the other side of the one-way glass.
"You know, now that I say it out loud, it sounds absolutely insane." Kagome laughed, a bitter sound trying to mask her pain. "But I'm the one who made this mess, so..."
"Are you?"
The words were out before he realized it, but he couldn't just let this pass by.
"Huh?" Confusion showed clearly in her eyes. "We;;, I mean, I was the one who broke it."
"You were, and you're taking responsibility, but this isn't your fault." His voice was soft, but he wouldn't relent.
"Wha...of course not!" She laughed again, such a forced sound. "No one ever said th..."
They had.
Someone had said it and blamed this all on her. And Itachi felt confident he knew exactly who did. The hanyou didn't appear to be malicious, but the male had an explosive temper and wasn't careful with his words. If this was how he acted now that he and the young priestess were close, things had to have been worse when they first met. After all, his butterfly did mention Inuyasha tried to kill her once. Irritation was steadily building up inside him. This was, no doubt, part of why she claimed she had to gather the shards, and the girl's smiles had been feeling forced as of late. It was subtle, but he knew what Kagome truly looked like when she was happy or upset, and this laughter of hers was definitely not genuine. Figuring out how to defeat the priestess' enemies was one thing he could handle with ease. He really wasn't sure how to go about this. Interpersonal relationships had never been a strong suit of his...there was one thing, however, that he could try to do.
Because he could see the guilt hiding inside her eyes. It was impossible not to notice when he was sure his own used to look the same.
"It wasn't your fault," he repeated.
"...wasn't it?" Her voice was barely audible, soft, and fragile. "If I had managed to hit that crow without using its leg...no, before that. If I'd known what to do when the Mistress Centipede attacked or just never got close to the well, so the jewel remained inside me, then none of this would've happened in the first place, would it?"
"Your world was a peaceful one. All of these were nothing but myths in your era. There was no reason for you to know how to fight youkais and beings that belonged in legends." He wasn't about to let her drown in these sorts of thoughts.
"It's still on me, though." Now she was starting to lose control; her words were wavering. "Excuses or not, if I didn't let the Shikon break, all those people would still be here. Everyone keeps quiet, but that doesn't mean their blood isn't on my hands. If only I had..."
If only...
How often had those words haunted his mind since he realized what his father was planning to do? The memories of that day had never left him, burned inside his brain were the mangled corpses of his family as he ran away. One life was all he'd managed to save, and even that one had been deeply hurt. Those first few years had been the worst, working with the Akatsuki and being forced to listen to the madman that was his ancestor. He could still remember how often he kept going in circles. If only he could've thought of another way out...if only he could've convinced his father to back off, or maybe had the Uchiha heir figured out something was off with his family earlier, perhaps he could've had more time to work with Sandaime-sama to stop that insanity. Over and over, he went through countless what-if scenarios, cursing himself whenever his mind managed to come up with an outlandish idea that could've led to a better ending.
But it wasn't the same. Uchiha Itachi was the heir of the Uchiha clan, trained and groomed since birth to be as perfect a shinobi as humanly possible; handling dangerous and precarious situations was something he was meant to do. Kagome was a civilian who lived in a peaceful world. She'd been literally pulled into this violent battlefield. It wasn't the same situation, but he knew that really wasn't what the girl would like to hear, nor would it soothe the pain in her eyes. At the end of the day, those empty reassurances wouldn't change what happened. The facts would forever remain unchanged, she was still the one who shot the arrow that shattered the jewel, and those shards were directly responsible for the deaths of quite a lot of people.
"It is...that blood is on your hands." He wouldn't sugarcoat what the girl knew to be reality, and though the girl flinched, she almost looked relieved. "But only so far as someone who failed to predict a sudden natural disaster. There is a big difference between bearing some responsibility and being to blame. You are here, trying to fix an innocent mistake." He let his hand caress her cheek.
"...I wanted to think it was all a bad dream at first." Her eyes bore into him; she was looking for something. "The first time I made it back, I tried to convince myself I'd just hit my head or something. Had Inuyasha not managed to cross as well, I'm not sure I would've gone back."
Theoretical arguments wouldn't do a thing for her.
"...there was a war going on in my world. Chances are, it's still going on." He could see the girl tilt her head, confused by the change of topic. "My going back would only make things more complicated. I did everything within my power to make sure my brother and my village can make it out. I have no desire to go back. Would you demand me to go back?" The girl shook her head. Before she could try to speak, he continued. "What if there was something I could do by going back? If me going back could perhaps help someone, but still wished to stay here? Would you blame me for my cowardice?"
"Of course not!" Her outburst was followed by her hands gripping her own.
"I am a soldier. It is my duty to fight for my village, yet you wouldn't condemn me for wanting to find safety for myself." He could see the wheels turning in her mind. "Don't you deserve to give yourself a little more leniency?"
Even with only the moonlight to illuminate them, he could see the blush creeping up her cheeks as she tried to find an answer before giving up with a pout. It was a lovely sight that helped him calm down a few of his worries since it looked like she was willing to listen to him. He was really not the best person to deal with emotional conflicts, but he knew what it was like to carry guilt inside him, and the last thing he'd ever wish for was for his butterfly to have to endure such a thing. Besides, he'd made a decision back when they were younger, still separated by a one-way glass, and he'd spent weeks pointlessly researching grief, knowing he could offer no comfort. He wasn't about to pull back now that they were here.
"You know..." she was smiling once more, a soft expression that didn't try to hide her conflicted emotions. "I should be annoyed that you're always cornering me."
"Huh...I..."
"That's fine. I don't mind." The amusement in her laughter was genuine this time. "Geez, I was only supposed to tell you what was going on, but I ended up like a mess."
"No, no, I was the one who pushed."
"Itachi, are you...taking your own advice?" The girl shook her head, a mile on her lips as she stood up and offered a hand to him. "Come on, we should go back before anyone wakes up."
Just like every other time before this, the Uchiha couldn't stop himself from taking her hand and following her back to camp. Her hand didn't leave his despite the gesture being pointless. He couldn't deny her, even if he noticed the slight twitching of the hanyou's ears, betraying his conscious state. After joining what he knew from before and his first-hand experience, Itachi was sure the silver-haired male felt somewhat entitled to the girl's attention. Jealousy shone through his irritated actions. It didn't take a genius to realize Inuyasha-san's temper always got worse the days Kagome spent little time interacting with him.
He supposed he wasn't surprised that the girl managed to have others vying for her affections. For so long, he'd been resined for the glass that separated them to be permanent; he knew the girl would continue to live her life, for her to find a partner wouldn't be unusual. To begin with, he wasn't planning to intrude on her personal life. As long as she was happy, he'd be satisfied. Though while the young priestess seemed to care deeply for the silver-haired hanyou, it was also obvious their relationship was complicated, to say the least. Going along with his butterfly's whims was likely to cause even more trouble, but he wasn't sure what the best course of action would be, especially when it was clear the two of them were often arguing.
Most of all...he was loathe to let go of her.
Kagome wasn't just untrained because of how chaotic her life became. There was little consistency in her life. If he was a betting man, he'd wager every coin in the Uchiha coffers that he was the first person she'd confessed feeling guilty to. He could even make an educated guess as to why. The other members of the group regarded her as a precious friend; they'd never be able to agree with her cold recollection of facts. A monk and a demon slayer. Those two spent most of their time trying to save others; they'd rush to reassure her that she didn't do anything wrong. They'd deny the guilt she felt and force her to pretend everything was alright. Only that wouldn't get rid of the pain she felt. Besides, trying to talk with any of the others would also mean she'd have to risk having her fears confirmed. But she knew he was a warrior. Despite dancing around the issue, Itachi wasn't deluding himself into thinking his butterfly hadn't joined the dots and come to the conclusion that he'd consistently taken other people's lives. He was likely the only one who'd understand that guilt. Out of everyone, she'd chosen to trust him, and if what she needed right now was someone to lean on, he'd gladly take on that role.
And that was exactly what she needed.
Either none of the others seemed to notice, or the one who did wasn't willing to reach out. It didn't matter. In the end, the group kept going without doing anything, as the young priestess did her best to bury those feelings by keeping herself occupied. When traveling, there was little time for her to dwell on those thoughts; after all, Kagome was always monitoring the physical and emotional well-being of the others; when she wasn't doing that, the girl was busy entertaining the fox kit as any older sister would. Making camp only meant she had to prepare food, deal with her new training and do her best to study for her classes. Going back to her time, her days remained similarly packed. Mornings were always a rush, and after getting back to her family home, she'd either help out at the shrine or do her best to catch up with everything she missed because of her travels. All in all, there was never enough time for her to think about it. First-hand experience let him know that wasn't an effective long-term tactic. He wouldn't pretend not to notice.
So he sat back down again, letting his eyes rest on the girl who only somewhat managed to get herself inside her sleeping bag without making too much noise, ignoring the slight movement from the branch the hanyou was sleeping on. So, long as his butterfly wished for his presence, Itachi would stay by her side. Because he wanted to repay the kindness she'd shown him from the very beginning, even now, as it was her who was opening up and being vulnerable, she still kept his well-being in mind. Asking if he gave himself the same leniency he wanted her to have with herself. The Uchiha shook his head in dry amusement.
It wasn't the same, though.
The justifications that helped lessen the sins on her hands couldn't be applied to himself. The Uchiha was a shinobi, not a civilian; he'd always been one. And Kagome's action was nothing but a well-meaning accident. She was bearing the responsibility by putting the jewel back together. It was a fair balance. Itachi had killed others without hesitation to the point he'd lost count. Even if he could justify the lives he took while working for Konoha, the atrocities he committed while inside the Akatsuki had no excuse. The taint he carried couldn't be compared. Kagome simply didn't know the extent of his crimes...right? Sure, stopping a coup wasn't exactly something taught in the Academy, but what was the point of being claimed and raised as a prodigy between prodigies if he couldn't stop his own clan from betraying the village? The expectations placed on both of their shoulders were fundamentally different. In his case, there was more than enough blame to go around and no one else to pin it on. The similarities between their circumstances were merely superficial...
Anyone forced to carry guilt for long would eventually internalize it. That was why he'd been concerned and decided to push a bit and made sure to address the girl's worries.
It had been so many years since the Uchiha massacre, and guilt had been a constant companion ever since the first time he had to kill during a mission. He'd hated his so-called perfect performance in his missions. Years and years of dealing with his guilt...it wouldn't be illogical to think that maybe he was falling into the same pit he'd desperately wanted to keep his butterfly from falling into. Perhaps he'd been the one who'd been too strict with himself. Focusing on the stars, Itachi let himself relax a little; there was still an hour or so before he was supposed to wake the hanyou up. For the first time in ages, he felt he had enough time to think things through.
Absentmindedly, Kagome wondered how long it would take for Inuyasha to finally get over his bad mood.
A small part of her was a little happy or, at least, wanted to be happy about it. After all, if Inuyasha was acting this way, he had to be jealous. And jealousy meant he still cared enough to not want her to not get involved with any other male. He'd sulked quite a bit when Miroku-sama first joined them, and that didn't even compare to how annoyed he got whenever they encountered Kouga. She used to feel giddy every time she noticed that jealousy. Right now, however, she mostly felt tired and irritated. His sulking wasn't helping anyone. While she didn't feel comfortable asking him to make a choice or demanding he stopped meeting with Kikyo, she didn't appreciate him trying to control who she talked with. Especially when the stolen talks she had with Itachi were not just completely innocent but comforting.
She wasn't entirely sure what it was about the older teen that made her feel safe when confiding in him, but what mattered was that she trusted him. He rarely interrupted her, carefully listening to her, gently asking questions, and offering more than just vague, empty words. He didn't insist she was overreacting. Plus, his advice never felt patronizing. Itachi saw her. Special connection created by the Goshinboku or not didn't change the fact that he'd seen through her forced smiles and gently doing his best to help her. Though a nagging little voice inside her head kept insisting everything was her fault and she was just attempting to take the excuses given to her by Itachi, for the most part, Kagome felt...lighter. And that, that was why the modern-time priestess was resolute to ignore the hanyou's temper tantrum and keep going with her self-appointed task of helping the warrior out.
"Unless my memory fails me...there should be a town within an hour or so from here." Miroku's voice held a very clear suggestion as they walked.
"Can't smell anything off." A suggestion Inuyasha planned to ignore.
"We could always hear something important." Sango insisted; she was just as tired as anyone else. "I think it's worth to take the detour."
"We'd be wasting time."
"But what if we miss something important, there could always be rumors," Kagome added from her spot near the end. The extra training didn't exactly leave her a lot of energy for the day. "Plus, we can buy something to eat and save some of our supplies."
"Oh, think we can get some dango?" From her shoulder, Shippo cheered up.
"Keh, fine, whatever." It looked like the hanyou was about to say more, but he trailed off when the priestess startled. "What?"
The girl didn't bother to try to repress a sigh as her gaze shifted to her left, the last thing she needed was to have to deal with an even grumpier Inuyasha, but there was no way Kagome could mistake the presence of the two not quite pure shards that were quickly coming their way. Looking at the empty space above the trees...huh, typically, she didn't manage to detect them from this far...
"Is something wrong?" Itachi asked from her right.
"Well, not quite..." Now that she thought about it since last night's talk derailed, she'd forgotten to fully prepare the young warrior for their handful of unique allies. "Kouga-kun's coming this way.